


Between you and I

by CharminBear



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But they’re so cute, F/F, at least in my mind, idk what this is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-06-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23291698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharminBear/pseuds/CharminBear
Summary: One-shots of random moments between Carol Danvers and Natasha Romanov
Relationships: Carol Danvers & Natasha Romanov, Carol Danvers/Natasha Romanov
Comments: 14
Kudos: 108





	1. Morale’s a little fragile

Carol felt like she was suffocating in the silence. 

No one had spoken a word the entire trip back to Earth. The mission on Planet 0259-S had been a failure. Thanos was dead but the weight of losing the stones overshadowed any sort of relief in his demise. The team had dispersed with minimal words shared between them - Steve, Bruce and Rhodey headed up to check on Tony while Rocket and Nebula stayed behind on the Benatar. Thor had flown off shortly after they landed with barely a glance back. Carol was tempted to do the same but one look at Natasha kept her grounded. She couldn’t just leave, not yet. So she had followed the other woman inside the compound and back into the conference room, not a word said between them. Now she could feel the guilt rising up in her throat as she watched Natasha look at the names of those missing over and over again. 

_Between you and I, morale’s a little fragile._

Natasha had said those words to her before they left. She hadn’t given them much thought, being so used to working alone that team morale wasn’t a concern to her. She had been confident enough in her abilities that she could take down Thanos and retrieve the stones with or without their help. But they were too late. And now those words were ringing in her head as she remembered the haunted looks on each of their faces coming off the ship. They had fed off her confidence, clinging to one last shred of hope, only to come back even more defeated. It had been years since she suffered a loss and this one was far more significant, great enough to bring down some of the strongest people she had ever come across. The magnitude threatened to drown her as she tried to find something to say to make up for her hubris. 

A thousand apologies rose and died on her lips but the words seemed unfitting. The space between them felt too large to traverse with needless regret. She felt like she owed the other woman more than that, owed the team more than that. Sheer determination propelled her forward until she was standing shoulder to shoulder with the blonde. Natasha remained unmoving, her gaze focused ahead of her. Carol could almost feel the tension radiating from her as she strained to keep her composure. Her eyes roamed across the screens until they locked on the name that had plagued her for since returning to Earth. 

Nick Fury.

_We usually work as a team here, and between you and I..._

The sting in her eyes came before she could blink it away. The last time she had seen him was years ago. He had talked about his plans to create a team of extraordinary heroes that would help defend Earth, that could work together to become something greater than its individual counterparts. He was going to call them the Avengers. And one of the first names he mentioned was Agent Natasha Romanov.

She swallowed thickly and let out a slow breath. 

“Natasha.”

Fury had accomplished his goal, the proof right in front of her. He had formed the Avengers in her name but everything they achieved was thanks to him. She would dedicate herself to carrying on his legacy. 

“Whatever comes next, we’ll get through it together. Whatever it takes.” It didn’t feel like she was offering much - a small promise underlying her words. But it seemed enough as Natasha looked up after a few quiet beats, the tension in her face and body easing slightly. 

“Thank you, Carol.”

_We usually work as a team here. And between you and I, morale’s a little fragile._

She turned to meet green eyes, but instead of the look of defeat she saw the same sense of determination reflecting back at her. It gave her the feeling of nostalgia, bringing her a comfort she didn’t know she needed.

Perhaps she had worked alone for long enough.


	2. Red’s a good look on you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha’s slightly less blonde and Carol’s slightly less composed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something a bit more lighthearted than the last chapter. Because who doesn’t want a little bit of dorky!Carol??

“Oh. Your hair.”

Natasha looked up from her computer to see Carol standing in the doorway of her office, head tilting in confusion. The other woman had called in just a few hours ago saying she would be at the compound shortly for a debriefing, so her sudden appearance was less surprising than the unusually informal greeting. 

“Is there something wrong with my hair?” She brought a hand up to smooth away any errant strands. It was true she rarely saw many people aside from Steve and Rhodey, but that didn’t stop her from at least maintaining a basic level of grooming.

The question seemed to break whatever spell Carol had been under as she blinked a few times before entering the room, the leather of her suit squeaking as she sat in the chair across from her with a sheepish grin. 

“Sorry, it’s just...your roots. They always looked darker during our meetings so I didn’t realize your hair was actually red. I guess the blue-ish tint from the holograms didn’t help.” 

It had slipped her mind that Carol had only ever seen her with blonde hair. By this time they had already known each other a few months - half of which Carol had spent out in space - and her hair had grown a considerable amount since last seeing her in person. Somehow the scrutiny left her feeling uncharacteristically self-conscious. Her appearance hadn’t exactly been a top priority since the Snap and even before that, her drastic hair change had been more out of necessity to stay under the radar than a desire to follow the latest trends.

Despite maintaining her stoic demeanor, Carol seemed to have sensed her doubt as she began to frantically back-pedal, eyes going wide and hands waving in apology. 

“What I meant was your red roots are just more noticeable in person!” A cringe. “Uh, not to say that it looks bad, I was just surprised and I think that the red actually looks really nice with the blonde - I mean, not that it matters what I think because it’s your hair and you can do what you want - but I just think the red hair really seems to suit you.” Finally a breath. “It looks good on you, is what I’m trying to say.” 

Natasha stared for a second. Seeing one of the strongest beings in the universe trip on her own words over something like _her hair_ erased any insecurity she may have felt and had her fighting to keep the smirk off her face. Majority of their correspondences had been strictly professional, mission reports and the like, so it was her first time seeing this side to the other woman. It was refreshing - especially seeing the deep flush on Carol’s cheeks while her lips pressed together as if trying to stop more drivel from spewing out of her mouth.

“Well, thank you, I guess.” Another look at Carol and she couldn’t help herself. “And this incoherent rambling is a good look on you, Captain.” 

No longer trying to contain it, Natasha could feel the smirk spreading across her face, watching the other woman’s mouth drop just a fraction before forming the tiniest of pouts as she crossed her arms over her Captain Marvel logo. 

“I take it back. You look hideous.”

The unexpected cackle that escaped her lips seemed to delight Carol, who replaced her pout with a teasing grin.

Natasha rolled her eyes good-naturedly and stood up before the other woman could say a word. It had been a long time since she allowed herself to relax this much, she supposed it wouldn’t hurt to prolong it a little more.

“Come on,” she said as she walked towards the opposite side of the desk. “All I’ve had today is a peanut butter sandwich and I’m starving.”

The playful hint in Carol’s grin shifted to something a bit softer before she stood up to meet Natasha.

“Lead the way.”


	3. There are more stars in your eyes than the night sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha’s rarely wrong, but this might be the one time she’s glad for it

It was a quieter morning at the compound. They were seated at one of the round tables by the window, the early light catching dirty blonde hair, their civilian clothes making it feel like two friends just catching up. But she supposed it was. Carol had made it a point to stop by every few months to make sure things were going well on Earth and to help out wherever she could. But now that they were on their way to some semblance of stability, her last couple of visits seemed less out of formality and more from a genuine interest in the team’s well-being, particularly Steve’s.

_It’s uncanny,_ _how similar they are,_ Natasha mused, leaning on the kitchen island as she continued to watch the couple chatting a few paces away. She blew softly over her mug of coffee as Steve was just about to finish telling Carol about his plans to start support groups in Brooklyn, their shared level of optimism giving the conversation a degree of levity that was lacking when he initially told her a few days ago. Whereas Carol had responded more enthusiastically, she had approached it more pragmatically. Of course she had been supportive, saw the benefits of it (not only for the community but for Steve as well) and had helped him figure out a few of the logistics but that had mainly been the extent. It didn’t feel appropriate, to try and involve herself more. But she could see how invested Carol was in his idea, how reassuring she was. It was a pattern she saw every time she saw them together.

A laugh from Steve broke her train of thought. Apparently they had moved on to Carol recalling one of her older adventures, bringing a smile to the other captain’s face. It had been one of his genuine laughs, not the ones laced with sadness she had grown accustomed to. She knew it wasn’t anything personal, not really. They had just seen too much together, lost too much together. And even before Thanos, she knew she held too much baggage, made too many mistakes, to really provide anyone a profound sense of comfort. With Carol, the pain didn’t run as deep. She could see it in the way his eyes crinkled as he smiled again. Their interactions had thankfully been more lighthearted than the ones she had had with him recently. 

_They would be good together_ , she thought _._ The image of them mulled around her head for a few moments as she formulated a way to get them to the next level, before she felt a tinge of something causing her to frown into her coffee. _Guilt, perhaps_. The world may have begun its ascent out of the chaos caused by Thanos, but the footing was tenuous at best. It was irresponsible to think about something as trivial as romance. 

She knew Steve may feel the same way, but he deserved a chance to be happy, especially after everything he had been through. It was why she had all but taken over the Avengers‘ operations, to ease the weight he had carried for so long and give him some chance at a normal life. But they were both stubborn, it would take some convincing to get him to even consider the idea of pursuing any type of romantic relationship. 

She looked back up to the couple to see brown eyes turning towards her with a warm smile, one she couldn’t help but return.

And if Carol was the one best suited for him then she would do her best to make it happen. 

* * *

“You know, I think Carol’s really taken a liking to you.” She offered later that night. Steve was heading back to his apartment in Brooklyn and she had decided to see him off.

“Danvers?”

Natasha quirked an eyebrow as if to say ‘Who else?’

Steve chuckled, meeting her gaze with an impish grin. “I don’t think it’s in the way you’re implying.” His eyes squinted accusingly. “Is it one of your life goals to try and find me a girlfriend?”

Natasha scoffed, slightly affronted that he would insinuate an error in her judgment, but pushed forward regardless. “I’ve seen you guys together and I’ve seen how much she cares about you. Plus she’s smart, funny, beautiful - I think she’d be good for you.”

“Nat,” he started, eyebrows raised, but stopped himself. 

She took this opportunity to quell any doubts he might have had about moving on. “I just want you to be happy, Steve. You deserve that.”

He seemed to contemplate his next words, grin growing more somber. “Aside from this being one of the few instances where you’re wrong, what about you?”

Confusion filled green eyes. “What about me?”

“You deserve to find happiness too.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She could feel her jaw tense, her body going rigid with incredulity. She heard him sigh, could see him slowly put his bag on the floor before placing his hands on her shoulders, clear blue eyes boring into hers.

“I know you want the best for me, and I want the same for you. As much as you don’t think so, you do deserve to be happy, too, Nat.”

Despite the conviction in his words and intensity in his eyes, she couldn’t find much validity in that statement. Not when so many, better people were gone. But she knew refuting his words would only worry him so she opted to give a reassuring smile instead. Steve seemed to figure that was the best he would get out of her for now, giving her shoulders a gentle squeeze before leaning down to pick up his bag to put in the trunk of his car. He was at the driver’s door before he paused again, grabbing her attention. 

“Just, if you find something that gives you joy try not to fight it. Please, for me.” 

He had looked so earnest that Natasha couldn’t help but nod her head. “I’ll try.” She wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep her word, but it was the least she could do.

* * *

“There you are.”

Natasha looked up from where she was sitting on the grass, watching as Carol walked across the front lawn of the Avengers compound towards her. It was late, the lights from the compound had already dimmed, but the moon was enough to illuminate the blonde’s curious expression.

“I was getting a little worried. Rogers left a while ago, but you still hadn’t come inside. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Natasha couldn’t help the small smile as she watched Carol fidget a few paces away, appearing unsure if her presence was welcome. She patted the space next to her in invitation, waiting for the other woman to sit before leaning back on her hands, lifting her gaze back up towards the stars. 

There weren’t too many out but it didn’t seem to bother Carol as she shifted to lay down, crossing her hands behind her head. 

“It’s been a long time since I sat on the grass stargazing.” 

She looked down at her but Carol kept her eyes on the sky. At this angle she could see more of the other woman’s face, seeming content to spend time doing nothing for once, looking somewhat nostalgic as she did so.

“Did you do it often?” 

“A bit. Mostly when I was a kid and then a few times later on. But every time I did, I would think of this anecdote my brother used to tell me, about how a rumble throughout the cosmos shook the sun, the moon and all the stars, causing little Alouette to fly throughout the night, just like a shooting star.” Carol finished in wonder as if hearing the story again for the first time.

She smiled, shifting down a little so she could lie down next to Carol. “And are you little Alouette?”

The other woman chuckled, looking over with a grin. “I’m definitely the rumble that shook the cosmos and taught Alouette how to fly.”

Natasha nodded slightly, turning her gaze upwards. “I’ve seen you eat so I believe it.” 

She was prepared for it, laughing as she easily caught Carol’s wrist before she could swat at her arm, keeping hold as the blonde continuously fought against her grip. The other woman could have easily overpowered her but her petulance seemed to overtake her superhuman strength. It took a few moments for them to settle down, a carefree smile still adorning Natasha’s face as she turned to the other woman fully expecting to see one of her signature pouts. Instead, she was caught off guard, surprised to find soft brown eyes looking at her intently. 

“What is it?” Her voice coming out just above a whisper as she slowly loosened her hold on the other woman.

Carol’s expression changed in the blink of an eye as she pulled away, softly laughing to herself. “Nothing.” A playful gleam replaced the more intense look she had just a few moments ago, letting out a dramatic sigh as she relaxed her head back, closing her eyes. “This is nice. I like spending time with you.”

Natasha laughed disbelievingly, more than willing to brush the moment off as a fluke. “Yes, I’m just a ray of sunshine.”

“What, I can’t enjoy stargazing with my favorite Avenger?”

“Your eyes aren’t even open.” She said mockingly. “And I thought Steve was your favorite.” 

“Really?” One eye peaked open at that before Carol moved to her side to face her fully, bending her elbow to hold her head up as she looked down at her. “What makes you think that?”

Natasha tilted her head slightly. “I can see how much you care about him. In a way that’s slightly different than anyone else on the team.” She was going to say more, maybe somehow suggest they spend more time together but Steve calling her assessment of them inaccurate made her pause. She wanted Carol to confirm her suspicions herself.

The blonde hummed in thought. “Oh. I guess I didn’t realize.” She pursed her lips, small frown appearing in concentration. “It’s probably because he reminds me a bit of my brother.”

_Wrong, indeed._ Though for some reason, the disappointment didn’t feel as heavy. Natasha shifted slightly closer as Carol’s voice grew softer.

“They were both in the army, both very protective... strong-willed...always trying to do the right thing. But Steve, my brother, died a long time ago, when I was still training in the Air Force.”

Green eyes looked up at that but Carol’s gaze was on the grass, free hand picking at the blades between them, though she looked more sentimental than melancholic. 

“My memories of him are still a little hazy, but I remember enough to know he was a good guy. I think if he were alive today, he’d be a lot like Rogers. That might be why I seem closer to him. It makes me feel like I still have a connection with Steve, somehow.” She looked back at Natasha, the tenderness in her face shifting back to one of her usual smirks. “It probably doesn’t help that they have the same name. They weren’t very original with names back then, huh?” 

Natasha gave her a comforting smile before she pushed forward into a sitting position, realizing she knew a decent amount of information regarding Captain Marvel but very few personal ones about the woman in front of her, casually laying down on damp grass with crumpled hair and a goofy smile. She found herself eager to see what other interesting things she could discover about Carol Danvers.

The silence between them grew exponentially with her thoughts before Carol suddenly looked sheepish, nose wrinkling up as she sat up next to Natasha. “Was that joke too lame?”

Natasha just shook her head smiling, even as she offered a resolute ‘definitely lame,’ nudging Carol’s shoulder with her own in jest. 

Carol just laughed, groaning in embarrassment. 

They naturally fell back into a comfortable silence, choosing to gaze up at the stars in lieu of further conversation. The moon shone too brightly now to truly appreciate the view above them but her attention was gravitating less towards the sky and more to the woman next to her. It was almost alarming how easily they connected. It had been a long time since Natasha was this close, this relaxed with someone, to enjoy their presence without needing words. Their proximity gave her an almost weightless feeling, though there was still a gentle weight settled somewhere in her chest as the warmth from Carol’s arm against hers spread throughout the rest of her body. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what the feeling was. It wasn’t wholly unfamiliar, but foreign enough that it took a few long moments to identify what it could possibly be. 

It wasn’t until Carol turned to her, with more stars sparkling in her eyes than the night sky, that it finally clicked. 

_Oh._

The realization caused her to shiver involuntarily even as the warmth in her body seemed to increase tenfold. She tried to push down her body’s innate ‘fight-or-flight’ response as to not make the other woman privy to the ground-breaking revelation she stumbled upon. She didn’t have long to sort through whatever she may have unearthed as Carol mistook her reaction as a response to the cold, shifting away as she slowly stood up. 

“Ready to go in?”

The blonde looked down with a warm smile, offering a hand as the moonlight cast her in an almost ethereal glow. Natasha suddenly wondered if this is what the sun, moon and stars all felt as they trembled from some unseen force.

She took in a quick breath -

_Try not to fight it._

\- and exhaled slowly, grasping Carol’s warm hand in hers. 

“Yes.”


	4. Better late than never

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol’s not used to being late. She’s also not used to feeling like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out a lot differently than I initially planned, which is why it took so long. But I guess like the title says, better late than never hahahahahah

Carol was late. Carol was never late. Granted, it may have only been by fifteen minutes but it just didn’t abide by her military standards to be anything but early to any of her scheduled meetings. And sure, it may have been an impromptu ‘intergalactic’ meeting, but Natasha felt it would be beneficial to meet and she wasn’t about to disrespect her - or Rocket and Nebula’s - time. And maybe she shouldn’t have agreed to attend, being in a different galaxy and all, but she wanted to uphold her duties and responsibilities as an Avenger and make sure she was aware of any pressing matters that needed to be tended to. And if she happened to be power-walking down the corridors of the compound as fast as her non-binary legs could carry her, well, it was strictly because she couldn’t stand the thought of being late. 

Okay. So maybe her haste had a little less to do with all that and just a tad bit more to do with seeing a certain redheaded Avenger, one who happened to distractingly occupy almost every crevice of her thoughts in the recent months. She had tried, honestly, to keep her feelings for the other woman platonic - or at least bury them deep enough that she wouldn’t have to deal with the ramifications of becoming infatuated with one of her teammates - but the more time she spent with the other woman the harder it became to tamp down her feelings, affection sprouting up like dandelions in her chest whenever Natasha did so much as breathe in the same room. And she had absolutely no idea what to do about it. 

In spite of all her bravado when it came to being Captain Marvel, Carol was slightly less confident when it came to personal affairs. Yes, she’s had several friendships throughout the years to prevent her from being completely emotionally stunted but most of her time was spent traveling from planet to planet on her own. And it hadn’t quite been a priority of hers to invest in relationships; she liked being untethered, free to roam throughout the galaxies on whim with little regard for anyone else. Well, until now at least. So really, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to find she was clueless when navigating through something like _romance._

It didn’t really help her case that she was astronomically bad at controlling her emotions - a trait that seemed to have gotten even worse after meeting Natasha. There had definitely been more than enough times where she was caught staring a little too long or blushing a little too hard or levitating too randomly that she seriously debated whether being in her binary form was the less obvious option. 

Not to mention the time her brain decided to short-circuit, basically offering Goose as a gift after Natasha had gushed over what she thought was a kitten so adorably that Carol had forgotten why she had the flerken in the first place. (She had her because a particular incident left the Skrulls wary of having a flerken on their ship and had expelled her to Carol’s care.)

It also didn’t help that her last few visits on Earth had been...nice. Not that they were ever terrible (barring the first couple right after the Snap) but these last ones were just her and Natasha and they were a little different than usual. Friendlier. Perhaps slightly flirtatious? Maybe? It seemed the redhead had developed a penchant for teasing her mercilessly - something she enjoyed even before Carol’s futile attempts at hiding her feelings - but now absolutely _reveled_ in, what with all the staring and blushing and levitating giving her so many opportunities. And the fact that she didn’t recoil in disgust or immediately excuse herself with a poorly veiled excuse to flee as far as possible was a good sign...right?

Still, the blonde wasn’t about to make any assumptions. Carol wasn’t afraid of many things but she’d be lying if she said Natasha didn’t terrify her. Their relationship had developed into one of the most meaningful ones in her life and she would rather fly headfirst into the sun before jumping the gun on something of this magnitude. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen if she confessed her feelings only to find she had read the entire situation wrong. 

What she hadn’t imagined, though, were the faint sounds of yelling and blasts coming from the direction of the conference room. It seemed her thoughts had clouded her senses enough that she hadn’t been aware of any signs of trouble, only now recognizing the screams were coming from Natasha and Rocket. Fear gripping her chest, she gathered her energy and flew down the hallway, body glowing as she burst through the doors.

It seemed her dramatic entrance put a slight pause on the chaos as everything in the room became silent. Once the debris settled, she did a quick survey of the room - chairs and tables had either been toppled over or blasted through, save for the one armchair Nebula was occupying in the far corner looking entirely too nonplussed for the destruction around her, Natasha was in the center using some form of a headlock on Rocket who had a quad blaster in each hand, looking as close to a rabid raccoon as she had ever seen, and aiming at a pile of rubble in the far corner of the room where Goose slowly made her way out from under an overturned desk - yet she still couldn’t seem to find the immediate thre-

“Goose?” 

And, unpause. 

“IT’S A FLERKEN!!”   
  


“Get back here! She’s just a cat leave her alone!”

“Rocket! What are you-”

“That’s not a cat, it’s a FLERKEN!”

“Says the raccoon!”

“I’m not a raccoon!”

“Rocket, just wait -”

“We need to destroy it before it lays eggs!”

“What are you even saying you crazy trash panda!”  
  


“Rocket, she’s fine! Just listen to -”

“KILL IT WITH FIRE!”

* * *

It had taken Carol an embarrassingly long time to take control of the situation, finally grabbing hold of Rocket long enough to explain that Goose was _not_ a threat despite actually being a flerken.

“Wait, what’s a flerken?” Natasha’s hair was all tousled as she looked to Carol with a confused expression, still cuddling Goose close and stroking her fur as if she _wasn’t_ cradling a dangerous space creature.

Carol pressed her lips together nervously. She may have forgotten to disclose this tiny detail. “Um, well, basically...an alien that looks like a Earth cat with pocket dimensions inside its body that stores large tentacles that come out of its mouth to attack enemies or store powerful items.” She explained quickly hoping to not alarm the other woman. “But she’s a fairly nice flerken so there’s really no need to be alarmed.” Fairly nice because she happened to be the reason Fury lost an eye, but she didn’t think they needed to be aware of that information after this whole spectacle. 

Rocket scoffed. “I don’t care how nice you think that thing is, you should get it out of here. Preferably blasted into space.” He threatened as he tried to approach Goose with blasters in hand.

“No one’s blasting her into space! Just calm down fur face, we’ll get her out.” Carol interjected, hoping to stop him before he could go on another tirade. He continued to glare at the flerken but made no moves to get any closer. Letting out a sigh of relief when it looked like he wasn’t going to star blasting everything in sight, she looked around at the state of the conference room. Everything was in complete disarray and cringing slightly when she noticed the demolished wall she burst through earlier. She dropped her head into her hand, feeling a pulsing tension between her brows. “In the meantime, you and Nebula start trying to get this place back in order.”

And because it was Rocket, there had to be a retort of some kind. “Why am I stuck with cleanup?”

“Because if you had just stopped screaming and blasting away we wouldn’t be in this mess!” Carol exclaimed, flailing her arms in exasperation before focusing on the blue woman still seated in the far corner. “And you, Nebula. Since you were absolutely _no_ help with this-” she said motioning around the room, “You can help him clean up.”

“The situation didn’t require my assistance.” Nebula replied simply, still seated and stoic as ever. “Neither does this. But I shall observe and ensure Rocket does not inflict further damage.”

Carol stared at her before she ran a tired hand over her face, fighting down the groan rising in her throat. She took a deep breath. “Okay, fine.” She turned back to Rocket. “Just try to get things back in order. I’ll come back to help after we put Goose away.”

“My mess is strictly cosmetic! You were the one that blasted through the walls-“

“Rocket!!”

“Fine! But if that thing eats your girlfriend don’t come crying to me!” 

“She’s not going to eat Natasha, now clean up!” She cried, having had enough of Rocket’s antics and turning to walk out before he could think of some other inane retort to throw back at her. Carol vaguely wondered if this was what having two petulant teenagers must be like, pressing her fingers to her temple and taking a deep breath as the tension in her head began to spread. Sure, on good days she actually enjoyed their company - and most days she could tolerate them. But of course, today, when she was already run ragged, they were absolutely infuriating. It made her want to bang her head against a wall. She let out her breath slowly as the pulsing in her temple finally slowed to a dull thud, shaking her head at Rocket’s absurd accusations. As if Goose would actually try and...

...and...

...And the pounding was back. She was going to kill him. She was going to go unleash every ounce of energy in her body and strangle his furry little mangy neck so he could never speak again. Or maybe Natasha hadn’t noticed him calling her her girlfrie-

“So...”

Carol almost jumped from the sudden voice, only now registering that Natasha had quietly followed her out keeping a few paces behind. She braved a glance at the other woman whose attention was, luckily, on Goose. Her own gaze following suit as she made eye contact with the flerken, silently begging to be swallowed whole and brought to whatever dimension lay inside the creature’s body just to save her from her current situation.

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

She could feel Natasha look expectantly towards her but Carol kept her eyes on Goose, who was clearly content with letting her suffer a slow, humiliating death. The traitor.

“I, um...” She swallowed thickly as she looked ahead, trying to avoid inquisitive, green eyes. Her uniform suddenly felt stifling hot as she resisted the urge to pull her collar away from her neck. 

A soft giggle brought her attention back up to Natasha’s face, who looked far too amused for Carol’s liking. 

“You don’t have to look so scared, I kind of already knew.”

This really shouldn’t have been a revelation but Carol was still shell-shocked, eyes going wide. “You...did? How?” 

Natasha didn’t answer immediately as they had finally reached her room, the redhead opening the door to allow Carol in first before following closely after. Sensing they were safe, Goose jumped from her arms and made her way to the two bowls that were set up in the kitchenette.

The blonde followed, feeling safer with the flerken as she watched Natasha move further in and open one of the drawers in her dresser. “Well, for starters,” she said, rummaging a little before grabbing something from a secured compartment. “After you left she threw this up.” Natasha straightened, holding up a Skrull blaster. “That’s when I figured she wasn’t your regular house cat. But I didn’t want Rocket to keep blasting the poor thing, so I kept insisting she was.”

Carol stood dumbfounded as she stared at the weapon before her brain caught up to what Natasha was actually talking about before hysterical laughter burst from her mouth. “Oh..Goose! You were talking about Goose!”

Natasha slowly lowered the blaster, taken aback at the blonde’s response. “Yeah,” she began slowly. “Unless there’s something else you’ve been meaning to tell me,” she continued, raising an eyebrow.

“Nope!” Carol yelped, shutting her mouth before clearing her throat and adopting a much more normal tone. “Nothing. Just the one...flerken thing. That I should have told you about. About Goose.”

Natasha hummed, seemingly accepting her answer as she placed the weapon back in her dresser, walking towards them once Goose started pawing at her bowl. Carol watched silently as she grabbed a bag of cat food from under the sink. “You know, this probably would have all been avoided if someone had shown up to the meeting on time,” she mocked, waiting just a beat for the indignation to rise on Carol’s face. “Let’s hope when you finally ask me out you won’t be late for that, too.”

Carol felt like she had lost all motor skills as she stood, gaping as Natasha placed the bag of cat food into her arms before walking towards the door, looking back a final time with a smirk. 

“Feed my flerken, will you? I’m going to help Rocket clean up.”

The blonde could only stare blankly at the now closed door, only moving when she felt something rub against her leg. She looked down at Goose, letting out a relieved laugh before shaking her head and opening the bag. 

“Okay, girl. Let’s get you fed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize Goose has to be at least 35 years old here but in my world flerken live a lot longer than cats. Plus, Goose needs to live forever!
> 
> Also, the scene with Rocket was based off Captain Marvel (2014) #2


	5. It’s been a while

It was rare that Carol had the compound to herself. The halls were almost eerily quiet, the rustle of multiple grocery bags being the only sound as she made her way to the kitchen. She was no stranger to silence but this felt different. Somehow this seemed more oppressive, more lonely. The thought caused her to frown as she imagined Natasha being constantly surrounded by it.

She had hoped to stop by and surprise the redhead before her upcoming meeting with Talos but it wasn’t looking likely. Natasha had gone to Wakanda over a week ago to help Okoye orchestrate possible global relief measures and would be there a little while longer it seemed. 

She placed the bags on the counter, sighing as her fingers were relieved from the tight strain of plastic. The sun was already dipping towards the horizon as she got to work unpacking at least a week’s worth of food. She may have gone slightly overboard with her shopping but after finding only half a loaf of bread and an almost empty bottle of peanut butter, it felt necessary. She couldn’t help but feel a tinge of worry, making her wonder how long it had been in that state. Natasha may not have been a culinary chef but the peanut butter sandwiches were a telling sign. 

She’d be lying if she said she didn’t have any ulterior motives in visiting the redhead. Based on their calls, things were finally getting put into motion on Earth. Natasha, Okoye and Rhodey had been chosen to represent the Avengers as nations attempted to restore some form of international relations. Of course after taking months to re-establish (somewhat) functioning governments, negotiations hadn’t come easily. With so many countries needing assistance and so few willing to allocate their resources it had been difficult to successfully mediate, weeks passing before they were able to come up with a semblance of a treaty.

Wakanda had been one of the few countries willing and able to provide aid. Luckily, several proposals had already been outlined and prepared by T’Challa and Shuri prior to the Snap, but adjustments were still needed to counterbalance the dramatic increase in need. Natasha had volunteered to go to Wakanda wanting to provide whatever support she could to facilitate those provisions, despite Carol’s concern that she may be spreading herself too thin. 

She knew Natasha was more than capable of taking care of herself. She knew that, really she did. And she knew this wasn’t something to fuss over. But there was this intrinsic need to want to protect her still. The stress had been noticeable during their last call, dark bags shadowing green eyes and tension marring her posture. She could see the toll it was taking, so Carol tried suggesting she take it easy and rest after having dealt with bickering world leaders for weeks. But of course Natasha brushed it off, stubbornly insisting she was fine and that it would only be a few more days. 

Apparently Carol was just as stubborn, pressing the issue until it had devolved into an argument that concluded with Natasha tersely ending the call. It had left things uneasy between them and they hadn’t talked since. The only reason she knew Natasha was still in Wakanda was through an email from Okoye a couple days ago informing the rest of the team about their delays in executing phase one of their relief initiative. 

Now she wished she hadn’t left things so strained. Regret washed over her as she thought back to how disheartened Natasha looked. Yes, she had her best intentions in mind but maybe she shouldn’t have been so adamant, so aggressively trying to take away an opportunity to actually do meaningful, productive work after a year in limbo. Especially over her own anxieties.

Two fingers pressed the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes, feeling frustrated with herself. She, of all people, should have understood why it was so important. She had just made the decision to give Natasha a call when she noticed a hint of red in her peripheral, turning to see the other woman at the doorway, looking at her just with just as much surprise. 

There was a second before Natasha’s name escaped her mouth in confusion almost the exact same moment she heard her own, meeting the redhead halfway as she wrapped her arms around a slender waist. 

“What are you doing here?” She asked as she pressed her face to Natasha’s hair, the words almost getting lost in the strands.

“I live here.” Natasha said chuckling, holding on for a few seconds longer before pulling back slightly to look up at Carol, the setting sun reflecting in green eyes. 

“I know that,” she said glaring playfully. It seemed the sight and feel of the redhead had immediately brightened her mood. “I meant what are you doing back already? I thought you were still in Wakanda, Okoye mentioned delays.”

“We worked through the schematic setbacks fairly quickly. The rest had to do with the actual allocation of resources but Okoye reassured me they could handle that on their own.” Natasha raised an eyebrow accusingly. “What are _you_ doing here?”

“I...” Carol paused as she took the opportunity to run her eyes over Natasha’s face. There was still a hint of weariness under her eyes but overall she looked better than the last time they had spoken. Lighter. She felt some of the earlier dejection seep back in. “I wanted to apologize.” Natasha’s other eyebrow joined the first, clearly not expecting her serious answer. “I was being such a nagging jerk last time. I shouldn’t have tried to tell you what to do.“

“Carol.” Natasha slid her hands from behind Carol’s neck to cup her cheeks. “You don’t have to apologize.” 

“No, I was out of line. You were already dealing with a lot and I was selfishly making things worse. I should have trusted you to know you’d make the best decision. I’m sorry.”

Natasha pulled her face down, pressing her lips to the corner of Carol’s mouth. 

“I’m sorry, too. I know how stubborn I can be. And I know you were just worried.”

The blonde groaned, mostly in frustration at herself. “I’m usually not...” She trailed, trying to find the right word.

”Overbearing? Irritating? An annoying shrew?” Natasha offered, though her tone held an underlying affection.

“Yes, to all.” Carol laughed, tugging Natasha into another hug. “It’s just been a while since I’ve had someone to worry about.” The arms around her neck tightened. “Just tell me the next time I’m any of those things and I’ll stop.”

She could feel Natasha smile, her lips distractingly close to her ear. “But you’re always an annoying shrew.”

The pinch she gave wasn’t nearly as hard as it could have been but Natasha yelped loudly anyways, batting her hands away as she escaped further into the kitchen. Carol continued laughing, following close behind until Natasha stopped to a sudden halt.

“I’ll tell you when you’re annoying if you tell me one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Why is there so much junk food on the kitchen counter?”


	6. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha doesn’t mind laying awake at night, not like this

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A super short update as I organize my thoughts for the rest of the chapters. Also, I had a dream Black Widow was essentially an entire movie of Carol and Natasha being the cutest things ever fighting bad guys. I guess it would ONLY happen in my dreams :(

  
The moonlight shone brightly through the bedroom window as Natasha lay awake, her languorous body fighting the allure of sleep. Everything seemed to entice her to just give in - the peaceful quiet, the warmth in her bed - but Natasha found herself wanting to revel in this moment for just a little while longer, the body pressed to hers a rare interlude from the ghosts that usually lay with her at night. 

Carol had already fallen asleep, planting one last kiss to the base of her neck before curling in and wrapping herself around Natasha. Almost every inch of their bodies touched and it still didn't feel like enough. Her hands itched, wanting to pull Carol closer, to memorize the feel of her skin against hers.

She couldn't remember ever having been this starved by the need for touch, the need to be consumed by it. It was as if everything before had just been a mirage and only now was she allowed her first taste of something real.

Natasha tried to match Carol's slow, rhythmic breathing, afraid the rapid beating in her chest would shatter the moment. But the fluttering was too fierce to contain. The temptation to touch too strong. 

Her resolve faded as fingers gently traversed down the expanse of her back, moving with each groove and plane like a whisper, ghosting over every inch she could reach. Her other hand came up to brush away a few strands of hair from Carol's sleeping face, her hand continuing its natural trajectory to trace the curvature of her shoulder and down the arm laying across her waist. 

She wondered, briefly, whether she would have ever met Carol had the universe not fallen apart around them. Or if they were somehow an act of providence, inevitably finding each other in every lifetime so they could live this moment a million times over. 

She almost laughed bitterly at the absurdity of it, of her wishful thinking.

Still. Maybe just this once, she would allow herself to cherish this rare state of serenity. A tranquility that had felt so elusive before, coming in such short instances throughout her life that she could never fully grasp it. But she wasn't going to let this moment go, not without savoring every second before it slipped through her fingers.

Natasha wasn’t naive. She knew there was a chance this could all end in a snap. But she didn’t want to think about the future. Not when she already knew how unfair life could be. And she didn't want to think about the past. She had entertained her demons enough times before. 

For now, she would spend infinity in this moment, holding Carol close and basking in her warmth. 


End file.
